Dao Van Ong

Dao Van Ong, naval officer and retired engineer, died peacefully on Friday, April 26, 2024, while surrounded by loving family in Austin, Texas. Dao was born in 1941 in Vietnam to Phen Van Ong and Hien Thi Ly. Born of humble beginnings, he left home at a young age to attend Catholic school, graduating second in his class, and then the naval academy in South Vietnam.

After graduating from the naval academy, Dao trained with the United States Seventh Fleet, USS 1169. He eventually rose to the rank of Commander in the South Vietnamese Navy. On April 30, 1975, Dao was the commanding officer at Coast Guard 43 military base at Hon Tre Rach Gia when South Vietnam fell. He was responsible for leading a no-return mission where Dao guided seventy-nine people to a refugee camp in the U.S. Naval Base in Subic Bay, Philippines. To these people, he was a hero. Dao and his young family were honorably transported by the U.S. Navy to the United States, and he proudly became a United States citizen in 1981.

Dao and his family later settled in Terre Haute, Indiana. After rising from poverty to build an impressive life for his family in Vietnam, he did so again in the United States. He worked two jobs while attending Indiana State University, where he earned his BS in Engineering. He also earned an MS in Electrical, Mechanical, and Computer Engineering from the University of Houston. Dao worked as an engineer for National Steel in Terre Haute and Houston, Texas, and later worked for the Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority, where he was tasked with special projects due to his creative, problem-solving acumen, and from which he retired, twice.

When he was not crafting solutions at work, Dao was often finding problems to solve at home. He also enjoyed tennis, gardening, and singing. He was a devoted family man and an avid collector, with a gregarious and prodigious sense of humor.

Dao is survived by his wife, Bui Thi Ngoc; his daughter Mary Thien Trang, her husband Colin, and their child, Gabrielle; his son Joseph Hai and his fiancee Giselle; his son Joachim Jay Quan, his wife Rebecca, and their children Rainey, Julian, and Jace; and his son Peter Minh and his wife Thanh Thuy.

A memorial service will be held for Dao on Saturday, May 25, 2024 at 11 AM at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 411 Ranch Rd 620 South, Lakeway, TX 78734. Memorial contributions may be made to the International Rescue Committee, in honor of Dao Ong's rescue of Vietnamese migrants following the Vietnam War.